Child safety plea

Further to your report on Gary Glitter's release from jail in Vietnam (Glitter evades deportation by refusing to board flight - UK police escort admits he has no legal jurisdiction, August 20), we welcome the Home Office's announcement of new measures to monitor British sex offenders who commit crimes abroad. However, we remain concerned that the government continues to be committed to a range of policies which will place the children it seeks to protect at further risk. Despite successive reports by international NGOs highlighting the risks of trafficking and abuse to children seeking asylum alone, the Home Office intends to forcibly return child asylum seekers - some as young as 12 - to countries including Vietnam, where Britain's child protection policies cannot keep them safe. We urge the home secretary to rethink this strategy and put children's safety first.Lisa NandyPolicy adviser, young refugees, Children's Society